July 2, 2025: Despite regulations laid down by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), mud-covered dumper trucks from an active construction site in Milat Nagar, Lokhandwala (Andheri), are generating severe dust pollution along an 800-metre stretch of Best Colony Road. The fallout has affected more than ten residential towers and several shops lining the route.
The issue was first brought to the BMC’s attention in September 2024 by the Lokhandwala Complex Environment Action Group. The group reported that five to six trucks leave the site daily with wheels heavily coated in wet soil, which is then deposited along the public road. During dry periods, this forms dense dust clouds; during the monsoon, it becomes slippery sludge, spread further by vehicular movement. In heavy rain, the runoff flows from the carriageway onto footpaths, creating dangerously slick surfaces for pedestrians.
Environmental activist and local resident Rishi Agarwal, a founding member of the citizens’ group, remarked, “It is unacceptable that on one hand, the BMC cleans city roads using high-pressure water jets, and on the other, these trucks are turning them muddy again. The problem isn’t limited to public roads—soil-laden vehicles turning into housing societies are soiling internal premises as well. One society has even installed an automatic cleaning system for its approach road.”
When Agarwal initially approached the K/West ward of the BMC in September, officials acknowledged the issue and stated that the construction firm had already been fined three times. However, they clarified that the site technically falls under the P/South ward’s jurisdiction. While the BMC has the authority to issue a stop-work notice, Agarwal was told that further action would need to come from the P/South ward.
Source: Mid- day
